I now have more than a 1,000 hrs on my mini.....andWith more than 50 active years involvement in audio, Ifeel this is the best sounding amp you can buy.Plus you have an ability to play with the sound more than any ampI know of. I am now trying Sylvania chrome domes 6v6's with OC3's....great sound, very open....waiting on tunsol 6l6's. Tried ken rad metal 6l6...and OC3's...good bass...slightly thick....

THE BOTTOM LINE.....this is a world class amp of the greatestthat you can buy regardless of price.THE ONLY amp I have seen that you can listen to..all day and every day and crave more....at least to this old fart's ears....;-)f

Sorry....you are so right..I also have a taboo and several otherworks of art from Steve.....I was speaking somewhat in aweof what I have been hearing. Having been blessed in lifeI have owned many of the best......I am fortunate to not have to work so I listen every day......and this particular product has tripped my trigger betterthan any I can remember......"music lives forever, people don't, listen now.......;-)f

Hi Frank! Welcome to the forums! I couldn't be more pleased to see you drop in here. As we've had several nice conversations over the years and I'm fully aware of your audio resume, the members here who don't yet know you will enjoy learning from your experiences.

For example, imagine the fix one would have from discovering that their special little $1500 amplifier actually sounds better than the "stereophile class A rated / best of show" amplifiers on the cover! Trust me, it's a great natural high.

Also REGARDING INPUT TUBES for the MINI TORII, the 12AU7/5963's that are shipped with the amp are just to get you warmed up. I really voiced the amp around the 12AT7, and a great NOS 12AT7 in the Mini Torii simply kicks ass.

Thanks Steve...you are so right about the 12at7's.....currently using mullard's, which is my favoriteafter trying various 12au7's and 12ax7's.All I can say is there's something about this amp that enraptures me and my feet can't stay still................;-)f

I feel about audio as I do about photography...there'sa picture of your pre production statement pre amp insidesand pictures of arizona on my gallery.......

I will say, I have never heard a better pre amp......very unique withspecial construction; the output tubes are at the output jacksalso as with the mini torii....It is so transparent that the smallest change anywhere in the chain can be heard. I have always felt you could use the mini as a form of test equipment...

The fidelity and presence that this unit gives the music is awesome. For example, if it is loud, I can go out of the music room and into the other part of the house and still hear wonderful, credible sound. I had a Paul Chambers Mosaic Select set playing and it seemed as if somebody was actually playing a trumpet in my music room.

I also happen to own a Mini torii now. I have had it here for a little over two weeks. It is such a strong presence in the house that I am not sure who has whom anymore, has it got me or have I got it? The living room is slowly being remorphed around its needs, now that I can finally hear music and understand what 70% of audiophile talk was about. All this time I have been hearing about veils being lifted from the music and I thought I knew what that meant. I have just ordered a few pairs of tubes from the Tubestore.com (they are based in Ontario I think. Myself I am in Montreal) So by Tuesday I should be able to experiment with 0b3 and 0d3 voltage regulators and a pair of mullard 12at7. So far I have been listening to a pair of 6v6 genalex (reissued) with the stock tubes (except for the 6X4 regulators, which I had to replace with something obscure, since one of the stock died out in the early hours). The Genalex felt so thin on the bass that I decided not to use them anymore and returned to the stock 6v6, which have tighter more present bass, albeit a less intriguing midrange. The Genalex I find sound particularly lush and detailed. The stock make rock music more interesting.I tried a pair of (reissue) mullard 12ax7 and also tungsol 12ax7 and they were way too noisy. Gold pin Electro harmonix 12ax7 were dead quiet but a little uninvolving.I built my own speakers. Audio Nirvana 10 inchers, they must have a 96db sensitivity. Their design is pretty forward and my patience is vast, so they are extremely well built and performing to specs.Now I wish I could manage to post a pic, I don't seem to work out the protocol...here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/61617415@N02/5608265188/

after extensive listening I can confirm that a pair of nos RCA 0d3 regulators have made the bass much fuller, more present, easily audible, in one word: satisfying. It is not an issue anymore. The sound is indeed punchy and resembles a solid state amp, as much as beautiful tubes can resemble that. I am using that comparison to say that it offers the best of the two worlds, it would be more exact to say that it sounds like a well built tube amp:-)I was worrying that perhaps some detail and midrange had been lost after the addition of the bass, but I believe now that it was a mere belief ( along the lines: hmmm, the bass is too good, surely I can't have it all). But it turns out I can.